There are a few different ways that VALORANT players can make the game harder for their fellow teammates, whether it’s friendly fire through abilities or simple trash talk.
The easiest way to grief a game, however, is to exit the match entirely, leaving the four others to fend for themselves. Luckily, Riot Games will be implementing harsher punishments for constant AFK players and queue dodgers in Patch 6.07, including faster restrictions for repeat offenders.
For those who are constantly going AFK during their matches, Riot is introducing a one day ranked restriction that will activate a lot faster than previous punishments. Due to this new system, players will be forced to wait out a full day ban, which should lead to better quality matches moving forward.
Queue dodgers are also getting increased punishments, since they are the most common offense made in today’s gameplay cycle. Ranked lobby and normal lobby dodges combine for a whopping 37 percent of all participation incidents since the start of 2023, which pushed developers to find a new solution to avoid such high dodge rates.
Related: Riot reveals next VALORANT map to be rotated out of competitive and unrated queues
Players will be getting hit with much higher ranked rating losses whenever multiple consecutive games are dodged, which should allow more agents to finally get onto the battlefield. There are many other different forms of disruptive behavior, but these two are relatively large problems that directly affect the gameplay experience.
VALORANT still isn’t a perfect game when it comes to creating a positive gaming experience, but these are great steps towards a safer environment and more fulfilling gameplay for the near future.
